Bela Kiraly papers, circa 1957-1988

Summary Information

Description

Scope and Contents

The papers of Béla Király include personal and professional correspondence, manuscripts, and materials related to two organizations he was involved with, the Hungarian Freedom Fighters and the Program on Society in Change. The papers are from Király's time in the United States (circa 1957 to 1989).

• Series I: Professional Correspondence, 1957-1988

• Series II: Personal Correspondence, 1963-1987

• Series III: Arranged Manuscripts

• Series IV: Photographs

• Series V: Arranged notes, greeting cards, invitations

• Series VI: Subject Files

• Series VI: Academic Career

• Series VII: Printed Materials

Arrangement

• Series I: Professional Correspondence, 1957-1988
• Series II: Personal Correspondence, 1963-1987
• Series III: Arranged Manuscripts
• By Bela Kiralyi
• By Others
• Series IV: Photographs
• Series V: Arranged notes, greeting cards, invitations
• Series VI: Subject Files
• Subject Files
• Hungarian Freedom Fighters
• Program on Society in Change
• Series VI: Academic Career
• Brooklyn College
• CUNY
• Columbia
• General
• Series VII: Printed Materials
• Articles by and about Bela Kiraly
• Articles by other authors
• Clippings, Newsletters, Programs, and Other

Using the Collection

Restrictions on Access

You will need to make an appointment in advance to use this collection material in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. You can schedule an appointment once you've submitted your request through your Special Collections Research Account.

This collection has no restrictions.

This collection is located on-site.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

Reproductions may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.

Preferred Citation

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Bela Kiraly Papers; Box and Folder; Bakhmeteff Archive, Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.

Accruals

Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. Contact rbml@columbia.edu for more information.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Bela Kiraly, 1989.

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries, Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Processing Information

Collection was initially processed in the 1990s, with additional arrangement work done in the mid 2010s. Finding aid encoded from existing typed box list in 2024 by kws.

Biographical / Historical

Dr. Béla Király (14 April 1912-4 July 2009) was a Hungarian army officer before, during, and after World War II. Király saw combat on the eastern front and was twice wounded. In 1943, he commanded 400 men guarding a Jewish labor battalion in the Don River valley. Contrary to orders, he provided them with warm clothing, decent food, and medical attention. In 1993, Yad Vashem named him one of the "Righteous Among the Nations", recognizing his humane treatment of the Jewish prisoners. After the war, he was sentenced to life in prison under the Soviet-allied regime, but was later released. After his release, he commanded the National Guard in the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. He then fled to the United States, where he became an academic historian. Kiraly enrolled in Columbia University and earned a graduate degree in history. From 1964 he taught Military History at Brooklyn College, and became chairman of the history department. He retired as Professor Emeritus in 1982. During his tenure he served as director of the Society In Change Program on East Central Europe, supervised Brooklyn College Press (the College's Publishing House), and was an adviser to the Brooklyn College Military History Club. The Brooklyn College Bela K. Kiraly Award, awarded to undergraduate students for outstanding work in modern history, bears his name. He returned to Hungary after the collapse of the Soviet Bloc and was elected a member of Hungarian Parliament.

Subject Headings

The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches for other collections at Columbia University, through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, and through ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.

All links open new windows.

Genre/Form
Clippings (Information Artifacts)	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Correspondence	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Financial records	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Lectures	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Manuscripts (documents)	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Newsletters	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Photographs	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
publications (documents)	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Name
ARP Atlanti Kutató és Kiadó Közalapítvány	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Abdul Rahman, Tunku, Putra Al-Haj, 1903-1990	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Ascher, Abraham, 1928-	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Barany, George, 1922-2001	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Bebler, Anton	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Benda, Kálmán, 1913-1994	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Borbándi, Gyula, 1919-2014	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Bridenthal, Renate	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Brooklyn College	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Brooklyn College. Program on Society in Change	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Ceaușescu, Ilie	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
City University of New York	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Columbia University	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Deák, István	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Deák, István	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Decsy, János	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Deme, László	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Dálnoki Veress, Lajos	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Eörsi, István	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Felkai, Ferenc	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Fenyő, Miksa	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Fischer-Galați, Stephen	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Free Europe Committee	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Gosztonyi, Péter	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Hennyey, Gusztáv, 1888-1977	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Hess, Robert L.	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Hevesy, Paul de, 1883-1988	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Hungarian Freedom Fighters Federation	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Ignotus, Paul, 1901-1978	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Jeszenszky, Géza	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Kalassay, Karl	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Kann, Robert A., 1906-1981	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Kapótsy, Béla	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Kende, Péter, 1927-	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Kennedy, Robert F., 1925-1968	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Kéthly, Anna, 1889-1976	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Kimmich, Christoph M.	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Kovács, Imre, 1913-1980	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Kővágó, József, 1913-1996	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Lipták, Béla G.	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Méray, Tibor, 1924-2020	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Nixon, Richard M. (Richard Milhous), 1913-1994	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Pásztor, Péter	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Raeff, Marc	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Rumi, Andrew [András]	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Ránki, György, 1907-1992	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Szabó, Gyurka	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Tevely, Balázs	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Tóth, Géza	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
United Press International	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
United States. Army	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Varga, Béla	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Vermès, Géza, 1924-2013	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Vásárhelyi, Miklós, 1917-2001	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Zalan, Magda, 1936-	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Place
Hungary	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Hungary -- Emigration and immigration	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Hungary -- Foreign relations -- 1945-1989	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Hungary -- History -- 20th century	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Hungary -- History -- Revolution, 1956	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Hungary -- Politics and government -- 1945-1989	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Hungary -- Politics and government -- 20th century	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Subject
Communism -- Hungary	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID
Political parties -- Hungary	CLIO Catalog	ArchiveGRID